Ann-Kristin Achleitner, Oliver Everling and Stefan Klemm (publisher): Successor Rating: Rating as an Opportunity for Company Succession: Rating as an Instrument of Medium-sized Company Succession, Betriebswirtschaftlicher Verlag Th. Gabler, Wiesbaden 1st edition January 2006, http://www.gabler-verlag.de, hardcover, 366 pages, ISBN 3-409-14327-0.

The topics “medium-sized business succession” and “rating” are closely interwoven. At the latest when the bank adapts the credit terms with the reference to the age and the unresolved succession question of the entrepreneur to the increased credit default risk from their point of view, it is worth analyzing the underlying relationships.

Basel II motivates banks to adjust the loan terms to the respective risk assessment of the borrower. At the same time, banking supervision does not stick to qualitative direction. Rather, it is precisely prescribed with how much equity the bank has to deposit loans of different risk classes. In addition, Basel II provides guidelines for the design of bank-internal rating systems.

The systematic recording and evaluation of factors such as an “existing emergency planning” or “existing succession planning” are the consequence. A lack of succession planning leads more frequently than before Basel II to significantly worse credit conditions up to the refusal of credits. Even the good personal relationship with the corporate customer service can not help here.

With the concretization of the Basel II guidelines by the banks and thus systematization of the evaluation of the credit risk, the leeway of the account managers disappears. Here we see a focus of the editorial volume – with up-to-date reference and direct assistance for the concerned entrepreneur. The present book shows internal views of the bank’s internal rating. The underlying regulations are presented and explained in detail. It will be shown where creative leeway opens up and how individual banks implement the requirements. This explanatory information is followed by concrete help for the entrepreneur. In doing so, the relation to succession is always established and the meaning of the controlled succession planning as an input parameter of the rating is reflected.

Ann-Kristin Achleitner, Oliver Everling und Stefan Klemm (Herausgeber): Nachfolgerating: Rating als Chance für die Unternehmensnachfolge: Rating als Instrument der mittelständischen Unternehmensnachfolge, Betriebswirtschaftlicher Verlag Dr. Th. Gabler, Wiesbaden 1. Auflage Januar 2006, http://www.gabler-verlag.de, gebundene Ausgabe, 366 Seiten, ISBN 3-409-14327-0.